Airplane-derived refuse unloading and compacting system and method

ABSTRACT

An unloading system comprises an upper-opening chamber for receiving airplane-derived refuse; a chute; a chute-connected safety gate which is settable in falling preventing relation with respect to an access door of an airplane from which the refuse is unloadable into the chute and to the chamber; and an air brake assembly for immobilizing the safety gate when the chute ceases to be vertically displaced. A compacting system comprises a main platen mount with an occluding surface for occluding the opening; an auxiliary platen mount for movably supporting the main platen mount; a holder assembly underneath the auxiliary platen mount; and force transmitting elements always retained within a compaction chamber interior. The main platen mount is linearly driven between a first position completely forwardly of the opening and a second position at which the opening is completely occluded, and is additionally driven to discharge the received refuse. Methods are also disclosed.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation in part of PCT Application No.PCT/IL2019/050476 filed Apr. 30, 2019, which claims priority to IsraeliApp. No. 259106 filed May 2, 2018, European Application No. 19151351.4filed on Jan. 11, 2019 and European Application No. 19164513.4 filed onMar. 22, 2019, which are incorporated herein in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of ground support equipmentfor airplanes. More particularly, the invention relates to a system andmethod for safely unloading and compacting airplane-derived refuse,while minimizing outward emission of unpleasant odors.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In some prior art methods, refuse is manually collected in plastic bagsand removed via the airplane staircase. This refuse unloading method istime consuming and unpleasant, and imposes an excessive load onexpensive manpower.

In another prior method, the airplane cleaning staff collects the refuseafter landing and removes bags of refuse via an access door to a servicevehicle, such as a van body located at ground level or a cateringvehicle that has been raised by a scissor lift mechanism and that hasbeen fitted with a bridge extending to the access door. However, theairplane access door is at a height above ground level, on the averageof 5 m, and the person opening the access door is at risk of falling. Attimes, one has to lean outwardly while the door is being opened before aprotective platform is positioned. Even though a protective belt isextended across the width of the access door when completely opened, adistinct risk of falling nevertheless remains, particularly as theprotective belt has to be detached when the access door is being openedor closed.

In another attempt to alleviate the safety risk, a chute through whichrefuse bags has been gravitationally conveyed from the access door tothe service vehicle has been employed, while the service vehicle alsoserved to compact the refuse. However, the person conveying the refusebags through the access door was still at risk until the chute wasproperly positioned. Also, the service vehicle many times, upondirecting the chute into position, impacted the airplane from which therefuse was unloaded and damaged its fuselage or wing when an excessiveor uncontrolled force was transmitted to the chute.

An additional disadvantage of this approach was that, due to theconfiguration and operation of the compacting mechanism, the upperopening through which the refuse was introduced into the compactionchamber of the service vehicle was not completely occluded, andconsequently refuse continued to be introduced into the compactionchamber even while the vertical press platen was involved in acompacting operation. The introduced refuse remained forwardly of thepress platen, and therefore was unable to be compacted. Also, atelescopingly extendable hydraulic ram, which was used to displace thepress platen the entire length of the compaction chamber until therefuse was discharged therefrom and was therefore of large dimensionsand expensive to maintain, protruded forwardly from the compactionchamber, i.e. towards the driver's cabin, and refuse-derived liquids andsolids exited the compaction chamber through the opening through whichthe ram protruded and soiled the surroundings as well as the exterior ofthe service vehicle.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a safe unloadingsystem and method to facilitate personnel handling of airplane-derivedrefuse.

It is an additional object of the present invention to provide anunloading system and method for airplane-derived refuse that preventsdamage to the airplane while being positioned.

It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a refusecompactor for receiving the unloaded refuse that is configured tofacilitate compaction of a substantially uninterrupted supply of refusefrom the airplane and discharge of the compacted refuse withoutrequiring large-sized and expensive to maintain hydraulic rams.

It is yet an additional object of the present invention to provide arefuse compactor for receiving the unloaded refuse and that isconfigured to prevent the discharge of refuse-derived liquids and tothereby reduce the emission of unpleasant odors therefrom.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent asthe description proceeds.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A safe airplane-derived refuse unloading system comprises a chamber forreceiving airplane-derived refuse; a chute in communication with saidreceiving chamber, along which the refuse gravitates and from which itis dischargeable to said receiving chamber; a safety gate connected tosaid chute and which is settable in falling preventing relation withrespect to an above-ground access door of an airplane from which therefuse is unloadable, said safety gate configured with an upper borderelement over which refuse elements are transferable via said access doorinto said chute; and an air brake assembly operatively connected to saidsafety gate, for immobilizing said safety gate when said chute ceases tobe vertically displaced, to prevent personnel from accidently fallingthrough said access door.

In one aspect, the receiving chamber is fixedly mounted on top of aplatform of a transport vehicle and the chute is displaceable along twoor more degrees of freedom to facilitate directing the safety gate tothe access door, the unloading system further comprising a controlsystem for preventing propulsion of the transport vehicle when the chuteis being displaced.

In one aspect, the unloading system further comprises a funnel memberoperatively connected to the receiving chamber and to the chute, throughwhich the gravitationally delivered airplane-derived refuse isdischarged into the receiving chamber. The funnel member is configuredwith an upper receiving compartment, a lower refuse transfercompartment, and a mounting plate therebetween that surrounds an upperedge of said refuse transfer compartment.

In one aspect, the unloading system further comprises a lateral-positionadjusting mechanism connected to an upper region of the receivingchamber and to a region of the funnel member. The region of the funnelmember to which the lateral-position adjusting mechanism is connected isan annular rim extending outwardly from a bottom circular edge of therefuse transfer compartment, said rim being connected to a bearingfitted within an upper roof of the receiving chamber and around acircular wall delimiting an opening through which the transferred refuseis introduced into an interior of the receiving chamber.

The lateral-position adjusting mechanism may comprise a lateral-positionadjusting piston pivotally connected to an upper region of the receivingchamber, a straight link pivotally connected to an upper region of thereceiving chamber, and an arcuate link which is pivotally connected at afirst end to an appendage fixedly connected to the annular rim and whichis pivotally connected at a second end to an end of said straight linktogether with a terminal end of a rod of said lateral-position adjustingpiston, to facilitate rotation of the funnel member at a substantiallyuniform speed in each rotational direction in order to adjust thelateral position of the chute.

In one aspect, the funnel member is additionally configured with twopairs of apertured supports extending upwardly from the mounting plateand proximate to a chute-facing edge thereof to facilitate pivotaldisplacement of the chute about a horizontal axis defined by a pininserted within each of said apertured supports and within correspondingapertured supports protruding proximate to a funnel-facing end of thechute; a sloped brace extending downwardly from the chute-facing edge ofthe mounting plate; and a pair of apertured supports projecting from abottom of the sloped brace for pivotal connection with avertical-position adjusting piston, wherein a rod of thevertical-position adjusting piston is pivotally connected to anintermediate region of the chute by a force multiplier arrangement.

In one aspect, the chute has an upwardly facing opening, and isconfigured with outer and inner sections that are slidable one withrelation to the other, and with a length-adjusting pistoninterconnecting said outer and inner sections in order to facilitate anextension or retraction operation.

In one aspect, the safety gate has a curved profile with an uppersubstantially vertical section and a lower section that downwardly andconcavely curves from a region at a bottom of the vertical section insuch a way that a bottom border element of the safety gate is morespaced from the chute than the vertical section in order to accommodatecurvature of a fuselage of the airplane from which the refuse isunloadable.

In one aspect, the safety gate is configured with a peripheral borderwhich includes the bottom border element that is adapted to bepositioned at approximately a height of an airplane cabin floor, opposedlower side border elements that extend upwardly from, and substantiallyperpendicular to, the bottom border element and that have a widththerebetween greater than the width of the access door, opposed upperside border elements that are laterally spaced by a width therebetweennarrower than the width between the lower side border elements toprevent interference with upper hinges of the access door which isopened, and the upper border element which is located above and betweenthe lower side border elements.

In one aspect, the safety gate has a regulation-conforming heightdefined by the lower side border elements and the upper side borderelements of at least 1050 mm.

In one aspect, the unloading system further comprises two bars which areeach fixedly connected to the chute and pivotally connected to achute-facing region of the safety gate to define a pivot axis, and oneor more counterweights connected to the safety gate and located belowthe pivot axis when the safety gate is set in falling preventingrelation with respect to the access door, wherein a weight and relativelocation of said one or more counterweights are selected to produce acounterbalancing, self-righting moment following a controlled movementof the chute.

In one aspect, the unloading system further comprises an elastomericperipheral covering coupled to the peripheral border for preventingdamage to an airplane body if inadvertently contacted by the safetygate.

In one aspect, the unloading system further comprises contact detectingapparatus in data communication with a control module, said controlmodule operable to disable movement of the chute when approaching theairplane by a distance of less than 150 mm.

In one aspect, the receiving chamber is a compaction chamber, theunloading system further comprising a compacting system provided withinthe compaction chamber for compacting the received airplane-derivedrefuse.

A method for unloading airplane-derived refuse comprises the steps ofproviding a safety gate connected to a chute which is in communicationwith an upper-opening compaction chamber for receiving airplane-derivedrefuse; providing a platen mount which is configured with asubstantially vertical and rearwardly positioned platen and with anoccluding surface located below said upper opening for occluding saidupper opening, said occluding surface being configured with a recessedsurface that is inclined with respect to said occluding surface; settingsaid safety gate in falling preventing relation with respect to anabove-ground access door of an airplane from which the refuse isunloadable; transferring refuse elements via said access door over anupper border element of said safety gate into said chute, allowing therefuse elements to gravitate along said chute and to be discharged tosaid receiving chamber; and activating one or more force transmittingelements in controllable driving engagement with said main platen mountso as to periodically or intermittently drive said main platen mountlinearly, without being subjected to interference with clogged refuseelements located between said main platen mount and a roof of saidcompaction chamber by virtue of influence of said recessed surface,between a first position at which said main platen mount is locatedcompletely forwardly of said upper opening to enable introduction of therefuse elements through said upper opening, and a second position spacedrearwardly from said first position at which said upper opening iscompletely occluded by said occluding surface to prevent additionalrefuse elements from being introduced into an interior of saidcompaction chamber, said one or more force transmitting elements alwaysbeing retained within the interior of said compaction chamber.

A top-loaded refuse compacting system comprises

a compaction chamber configured with an upper opening through whichrefuse is introducible; a main platen mount configured with asubstantially vertical and rearwardly positioned main platen and with anoccluding surface for occluding said upper opening; one or more mainforce transmitting elements in controllable driving engagement with saidmain platen mount that are always retained within an interior of saidcompaction chamber;

an auxiliary platen mount adapted to movably support the main platenmount thereunder and which is in controllable driving engagement withthe main platen mount by the one or more main force transmittingelements, the auxiliary platen mount configured with a substantiallyhorizontally disposed refuse-receiving surface on which the introducedrefuse is able to fall and with a rearwardly positioned auxiliary platenwith which the main platen is alignable; a holder assembly movablypositioned underneath the auxiliary platen mount; and a plurality ofadditional force transmitting elements that are operatively held by theholder assembly and that are always retained within the interior of thecompaction chamber, at least one of the additional force transmittingelements in controllable driving engagement with the auxiliary platenmount and at least one of the additional force transmitting elements incontrollable driving engagement with a region of the compaction chamber,wherein said one or more main force transmitting elements are adapted toperiodically or intermittently drive said main platen mount linearlybetween a first position at which said main platen mount is locatedcompletely forwardly of said upper opening to enable introduction ofrefuse through said upper opening, and a second position spacedrearwardly from said first position at which said upper opening iscompletely occluded by said occluding surface to prevent additionalrefuse from being introduced into an interior of said compactionchamber, wherein said main platen is adapted to deflect the introducedrefuse rearwardly when said main platen is driven from said firstposition to said second position, wherein the main platen mount isadapted to deflect refuse located on the refuse-receiving surface onto afloor of the compaction chamber, wherein the main platen mount,auxiliary platen mount, and holder assembly are rearwardly and linearlydisplaceable in unison to a third position by a first distance relativeto the second position, to displace the deflected refuse by the mainplaten and auxiliary platen, and wherein the main platen mount and theauxiliary platen mount are rearwardly and linearly displaceable inunison to a fourth position by a second distance relative to the thirdposition, to additionally displace the deflected refuse and to enableoutward discharge thereof from the compaction chamber.

In one aspect, the occluding surface is substantially horizontallydisposed and located within 5 cm of a roof of the compaction chamber.The compaction chamber roof prevents forward movement of a piece ofrefuse when the main platen mount is displaced from the second positionto the first position.

In one aspect, the occluding surface is configured with a recessedramped surface for preventing deformation of the roof of the compactionchamber when the introduced refuse becomes clogged between the mainplaten mount and the roof.

In one aspect, a length of the occluding surface is no more than 20% ofthe length of the compaction chamber.

In one aspect, the occluding surface is configured with an upwardly openchannel attached to peripheral edges thereof, for receivingrefuse-derived liquids contacted by the main platen during a compactionoperation and transferred to the occluding surface, the receivedrefuse-derived liquids being dischargeable from said channel to thecompaction chamber floor via one or more drainage openings formed in therefuse-receiving surface of the auxiliary platen mount.

In one aspect, a first lengthwise extending guide rail is fixed to acorresponding side wall of the compaction chamber and is configured toreceive one or more corresponding linear bearings that are held by thecorresponding side of the auxiliary platen mount, to facilitatelengthwise displacement of the auxiliary platen mount.

In one aspect, a second lengthwise extending guide rail is connected toeach corresponding lateral side of the refuse-receiving surface of theauxiliary platen mount and is configured to receive one or morecorresponding linear bearings that are held by the corresponding side ofthe main platen mount, to facilitate displacement of the main platenmount relative to the auxiliary platen mount.

In one aspect, a rearwardly open, angled bracket is affixed to an uppersurface of a corresponding second rail at a forward end thereof and acorresponding pivot mount is attached to said angled bracket, andwherein an oblique hydraulic cylinder is pivotally connected to thecorresponding pivot mount of the auxiliary platen mount and a piston rodof the oblique cylinder is pivotally connected to a corresponding pivotmount provided at a central region of the main platen mount, forincreasing a compacting force applied by the oblique cylinder eventhough its stroke is limited by a length equal to a distance between thefirst and second positions.

In one aspect, the holder assembly comprises a forwardly positioned,laterally extending beam which is provided at each end with one or morelinear bearings that are each received in a corresponding first guiderail, to facilitate lengthwise displacement of the holder assembly, acentrally located, lengthwise extending support member, and at least onelinear bearing held at a rearward region, and above an upper surface, ofsaid support member, and received within a coupler which is secured toan underside of the refuse-receiving surface of the auxiliary platenmount.

In one aspect, the holder assembly has a tapered configuration, suchthat its width progressively decreases in a rearward direction relativeto the forwardly positioned beam, and lengthwise ends of the supportmember are triangularly shaped, to facilitate manipulation of a cleaningimplement at peripheral ends of the holder assembly in order tocompletely clear refuse from the compaction chamber floor.

In one aspect, the compacting system further comprises a pivotallydisplaceable, three-dimensional door member which is configured, whenset to a closed position at a rear opening of the compaction chamber, toreceive within its interior the deflected refuse, and, when set to anopen pivoted position, to allow the deflected refuse to be outwardlydischarged to a waste disposal site.

In one aspect, a rearward end of the compaction chamber floor isconfigured with a recessed portion within which incompressible pieces ofrefuse are collectable and from which the incompressible pieces ofrefuse are dischargeable following a compacting operation.

In one aspect, the compacting system further comprises a control systemfor disabling operation of the additional force transmitting elementswhen the door member is set to the opened position.

In one aspect, the compacting system further comprises a transportvehicle to which the compaction chamber is secured, for transporting thecompaction chamber to a location proximate to an airplane to facilitateintroduction of airplane-derived refuse through the upper opening andfor subsequently transporting the compaction chamber to the wastedisposal site to facilitate discharging of the refuse from thecompaction chamber.

In one aspect, the compacting system further comprises a control systemfor disabling operation of components for facilitating introduction ofthe airplane-derived refuse through the upper opening if the auxiliaryplaten mount is not located at a forwardmost position.

A method for compacting airplane-derived refuse comprises the steps ofproviding within an upper-opening compaction chamber, a main platenmount which is configured with a substantially vertical and rearwardlypositioned main platen and with an occluding surface located below saidupper opening for occluding said upper opening, and an auxiliary platenmount adapted to movably support the main platen mount thereunder andwhich is in controllable driving engagement with the main platen mountby the one or more main force transmitting elements, the auxiliaryplaten mount configured with a substantially horizontally disposedrefuse-receiving surface on which the introduced refuse is able to falland with a rearwardly positioned auxiliary platen with which the mainplaten is alignable; receiving gravitationally displacedairplane-derived refuse via a chute and said upper opening while saidoccluding surface is located completely forwardly of said upper openingand within an interior of said compaction chamber, until said receivedrefuse is deposited above said refuse-receiving surface; rearwardlydriving the main platen mount linearly while being slidably engaged withthe auxiliary platen mount, until said upper opening is occluded by saidoccluding surface and the main platen is located rearwardly of saidupper opening, to deflect refuse located on said refuse-receivingsurface onto a floor of the compaction chamber and to cause saiddeflected refuse to be compressed to a certain degree.

In one aspect, the upper opening is spaced from a forward edge of thecompaction chamber by a distance of less than one-quarter of a length ofthe compaction chamber, and the main platen mount is driven rearwardlyby a distance greater than at least 200 mm more than a lengthwisedimension of the upper opening.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration from the side of an unloading systemand a compacting system, according to one embodiment of the presentinvention, which are mounted on a transport vehicle, shown when a refuseconveying chute is in a starting horizontal position;

FIG. 2 is a front view of a safety gate used in conjunction with theunloading system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view from the front of the safety gate of FIG.2, shown when disposed in a falling preventing orientation and connectedto a chute;

FIG. 4 is a side view of FIG. 3, shown when the chute is at a horizontalorientation;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view from the top and side of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5A is a cross sectional view of the air brake assembly of FIG. 5,cut along plane A-A;

FIG. 6 is a side view of FIG. 3, shown when the chute is at an obliqueorientation;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view from the top of a funnel used inconjunction with the unloading system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view from the top of a compaction chamber usedin conjunction with the unloading system and compaction system of FIG.1, when separated from the transport vehicle, shown without a rear doormember;

FIG. 9 is a side, partial cutaway view of the unloading system of FIG.1, when separated from the transport vehicle;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view from below of a chute used in conjunctionwith the unloading system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10A is an enlargement of Detail B of FIG. 10;

FIG. 11A is a perspective view from the side and top of the chute ofFIG. 10;

FIG. 11B is a rear view of the chute of FIG. 11A;

FIG. 11C is an enlargement of Detail C of FIG. 11B;

11D is an enlargement of Detail C of FIG. 11B, shown without the guideand the connection thereto;

11E is an enlargement of Detail C of FIG. 11B, shown without the sliderand the connection thereto;

FIG. 12 is a top view of a lateral-position adjusting mechanism used inconjunction with the unloading system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 13 is a top view of FIG. 9, illustrating the chute while undergoingadjustment of its lateral position;

FIG. 14 is a side view of the unloading system of FIG. 1, when separatedfrom the transport vehicle, illustrating the chute while undergoingadjustment of its vertical position and its longitudinal length;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view from the side of a main platen mount usedin conjunction with the compacting system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view from the front of the main platen mount ofFIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view from the top of an auxiliary platen mountused in conjunction with the compacting system of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 18 and 19 are two different perspective views, respectively, fromthe bottom of the auxiliary platen mount of FIG. 17;

FIG. 20A is a perspective view from the front of a compaction chamberused in conjunction with the compaction system of FIG. 1, when separatedfrom the transport vehicle and shown without components of thecompaction system, according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 20B is a perspective view from the top and side of the compactionchamber of FIG. 20A;

FIG. 20C is a perspective view from the front and side of a frontportion of the compaction chamber of FIG. 20A;

FIG. 20D is an enlargement of Detail D of FIG. 20A;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view from the top and side of a piston holderused in conjunction with the compacting system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 22 is a side view of the piston holder of FIG. 21;

FIG. 23 is a perspective view from the top and rear of the piston holderof FIG. 21;

FIG. 24 is an enlargement of Detail E of FIG. 23;

FIG. 25 is a perspective view from the side of the rearward end of thefloor of the compaction chamber of FIG. 9, showing a portion of the mainplaten and auxiliary platen after having been driven rearwardlyfollowing a discharging operation;

FIG. 26 is a front view of the compaction chamber of FIG. 20A whenseparated from the transport vehicle, illustrating a compacting systemassembled therewithin;

FIG. 27 is a perspective view from the front of the compaction chamberof FIG. 20A when separated from the transport vehicle, illustrating twooblique hydraulic cylinders of the compacting system assembledtherewithin;

FIGS. 28-35 illustrate the assembled compaction chamber of FIG. 26 inpartial cutaway view during different stages of compacting anddischarging operations to show the relative location of its components,FIGS. 28, 30, 32 and 34 being side views of the compaction chamber andFIGS. 29, 31, 33 and 35 being top views of the compaction chamber;

FIG. 36 is a perspective view from the side of a rear door member in aclosed position, showing opening and closing apparatus therefor;

FIG. 37 is a side view of a portion of the apparatus of FIG. 36;

FIG. 38 is a side, partial cutaway view of an assembled compactionchamber, showing the apparatus of FIG. 36 while the rear door member isin an opened position;

FIG. 39 is a block diagram of a control system used in conjunction withthe unloading system and compaction system of FIG. 1, according to oneembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 40A is a perspective view from the front of a chute support forsupporting the chute of FIG. 10 when in the starting horizontalposition;

FIG. 40B is a perspective view from the top and side of the chutesupport of FIG. 40A when connected to a reinforcement beam at an upperregion of the compaction chamber;

FIG. 41 is an enlargement of FIG. 28, showing various dimensionalrelations of the compacting system; and

FIG. 42 is an enlargement of FIG. 30, showing various dimensionalrelations of the compacting system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related to a safe vehicle-mounted system forunloading airplane-derived refuse despite the height above ground levelof the access door from which the refuse is unloaded. The vehicle isalso configured with a control system to prevent damage to the airplanewhen the unloading system is being positioned. An in-vehicle speedy andefficient compacting system to which the unloaded refuse isgravitationally delivered is also provided.

FIG. 1 illustrates a transport vehicle 12 which is provided with theapparatus of the present invention.

As shown, a compaction chamber 15, e.g. rectilinear, fixedly mounted ontop of a platform 17 of transport vehicle 12 is adapted to receive theairplane-derived refuse that is gravitationally delivered thereto viafunnel 9 operatively connected to compaction chamber 15. A schematicallyillustrated compacting system 20 is provided within compaction chamber15, and serves to efficiently compact the introduced refuse after therefuse has been introduced into compaction chamber 15.

Safe unloading system 10 comprises chute 8 having an upwardly facingopening, e.g. a U-shaped profile, but which may be configured in otherways as well, in communication with the interior of funnel 9, and asafety gate 5 connected to the terminal end of chute 8. Chute 8 is ableto be vertically displaced, linearly displaced, and laterally displacedin order to quickly direct safety gate 5 to the above-ground access doorof the airplane. Safety gate 5 becomes automatically immobilized by anair brake system to prevent personnel from accidently falling throughthe access door.

Unloading system 10 and compacting system 20, whose operation may besynchronized, are configured to accommodate the size and dimensions oftransport vehicle 12.

Unloading System

Reference is first made to FIG. 2, which illustrates a front view ofsafety gate 5. Safety gate 5 is shown to be of screenlike openworkconstruction with a plurality of adjacent bordered openings for weightsavings and for preventing obstruction of the line of sight of thedriver of transport vehicle 12 when chute 8 is lowered to a lowermostposition substantially parallel to the ground surface whereby safetygate 5 is positioned in the line of sight of the driver, as shown inFIG. 1. Any structurally strong and impact resistant material such assteel is suitable for fabricating safety gate 5, for example 3-mm thickHardox 450 having good bendability and weldability that are needed toproduce the illustrated safety gate configuration. Safety gate 5 isconfigured with a relatively wide peripheral border element 6 thatextends throughout its periphery. The peripheral border element 6 may beformed with a plurality of spaced apertures 7 for coupling with a singleelastomeric peripheral covering 11 shown in FIG. 3 that prevents damageto the airplane body if inadvertently contacted by safety gate 5.

Safety gate 5 is of a universal construction that is able to bepositioned in falling preventing relation with respect to the accessdoor of most, or even of all, types of airplanes when taking intoaccount the size of the access door and the curvature of the fuselage,and also conforms to security regulations for a continuous height of1050 mm for fall arresting equipment above the airplane cabin floor.

In order to achieve the universal construction, the bottom borderelement 21 is adapted to be positioned at approximately the height ofthe airplane cabin floor. Opposed side border elements 23 and 24 with awidth W therebetween greater than the width of all designed access doorsextend upwardly from, and are substantially perpendicular to, bottomelement 21. The regulation-conforming height H of safety gate 5 isdefined by lower side border elements 23 and 24 and by upper side borderelements 27 and 28 that are laterally spaced by a width J therebetweenbeing narrower than dimension W in order to prevent interference withthe upper hinges of the opened access door. A concave border element 29positioned above and between lower side border elements 23 and 24permits the passage of refuse elements over border element 29 and intochute 8 as shown in FIG. 3 without endangering the personnel handlingthe refuse elements. An interface element 26 having an inner verticallystraight edge and an outer curved surface interfaces between an upperside border element and concave border element 29.

As shown in FIG. 4, safety gate 5 has a curved profile with an uppersubstantially vertical section 14 and a lower section 16 that downwardlyand concavely curves from region D at the bottom of section 14, suchthat bottom border element 21 is more spaced from chute 8 than interfaceelement 26 (FIG. 2) in order to accommodate the curvature of theairplane's fuselage. Region D corresponds to approximatelythree-quarters the height of lower side border elements 23 and 24 abovebottom border element 21.

The connection between safety gate 5 and chute 8 ensuring that safetygate will always be positioned in falling preventing relation withrespect to the access door despite a change in orientation of the chuteis illustrated in FIGS. 3-5. “Falling preventing relation” or “fallingpreventing orientation” is defined herein as that orientation when uppersection 14 of safety gate 5 is substantially vertically oriented, i.e.is angularly separated from the underlying horizontal ground surface byan angle ranging from 89 to 91 degrees, thereby ensuring that the entireheight of the safety gate 5, including upper section 14 and lowersection 16 thereof, is positioned sufficiently close to the entireperipheral border of the access door, i.e. by a spacing of no more than10 cm, e.g. 5 cm, to prevent a person leaning out of the access doorfrom falling.

Chute 8 is configured with a plurality of longitudinally spaced, arcuatereinforcements 33 (FIG. 5) fixedly connected to the outer surface of theconcave chute. Each end of a reinforcement 33 may abut a correspondingrectangular lip 31 that slightly extends laterally outwardly from acorresponding lateral extremity of the concave chute and that maylongitudinally extend throughout the length of the chute. A firstsupport bar 34 is fixedly connected to a thin element 35 attached to theunderside of lip closest to safety gate 5, and extends to a horizontalpivot 37, which is mounted on the rearward face, i.e. the chute-facingside, of interface element 26 (FIG. 3) of safety gate 5. A secondsupport bar 36 connected to an intermediate portion of the correspondingfirst support bar 34 relatively close to safety gate 5 is fixedlyconnected to lug 39, e.g. rectangular, which is attached to theunderside of a medial portion of chute 8.

As the two first support bars 34 are pivotally connected to safety gate5, controlled movement of chute 8 causes safety gate 5 in turn to changeits orientation. In order to ensure that safety gate 5 will always bepositioned in falling preventing relation with respect to the accessdoor, safety gate 5 is configured to be self-righting by virtue of oneor more counterweights 42. Each counterweight 42 is connected to safetygate 5, for example to the border element of lower section 16, by meansof two supports 44, causing the center of gravity of safety gate 5 to beshifted rearwardly.

Thus when chute 8 is displaced from the horizontal orientation shown inFIGS. 1 and 4 to the orientation shown in FIG. 6 where its longitudinalaxis is disposed at an angular orientation of approximately 45 degreesrelative to a horizontal plane, while the chute terminal end 13 islocated above its funnel-connecting end, an initial moment is appliedthat causes safety gate 5 to be rotated about the pivot axis coincidingwith the two pivots 37 in a counterclockwise direction in accordancewith the illustrated orientation. However, since counterweight 42 islocated to the right of the pivot axis in accordance with theillustrated orientation, the distance between the counterweight and thepivot axis constitutes a righting arm which produces a moment thatcounterbalances the moment caused by the vertical displacement of chute8 until safety gate 5 achieves the falling preventing orientation. Theweight and relative location of counterweight 42 are selected to stablyproduce the suitable counterbalancing moment.

An air brake assembly 43 is mounted to the side of a reinforcement 33which is closest to safety gate 5.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 5A, air brake assembly 43 comprises air brakebody 63, bar 41, lock cylinder 71, and trunnion block 65. Bar 41 ispivotally connected at a first end to safety gate 5, for example on therearward face of an interface element of the safety gate, and isreceived within a bore of air brake body 63. When safety gate 5 ispivoted, bar 41 is axially displaced within the bore, as indicated byarrow 75.

The air brake body 63, which may be cylindrical, is mounted by trunnionpins 69 to trunnion block 65, the latter being pivotally connected tochute 8, Thus bar 41 is able to pivot relative to trunnion pins 69. Bar41 is also received within the interior 73 of a pneumatically released,spring based lock cylinder 71, which is fitted in an intermediate regionof air brake body 63. The maximum thickness of bar 41 is less than theradial dimension of the bore formed in air brake body 63 and of lockcylinder 71. Due to the radial clearance between bar 41 and the wall ofthe bore formed in air brake body 63, the bar is able to be radiallydisplaced within the bore, as indicated by arrow 77. To effect theradial displacement, lock cylinder 71 is configured with a spring 74which is positioned substantially perpendicularly to bar 41. Spring 74is biased to push bar 41 to the wall of the bore and to apply a lockingforce that immobilizes safety gate 5 by preventing the bar frompivoting. Bar 41 is displaceable in an opposite radial direction by theschematically illustrated actuation means ACT, such as a pulse of airthat is injected into air inlet 76 formed in lock cylinder 71, which ispositioned at an opposite radial side of the bore to spring 74. Controlmodule 284 (FIG. 39), after being signaled that safety gate 5 is toundergo vertical displacement, commands generation of a pulse of airthat is injected into air inlet 76 and that helps to overcome thelocking force applied by the internal spring, allowing the safety gateto be rotated about its pivot axis. Upon cessation of injection of air,bar 41 is once again secured by the internal spring 74 and safety gate 5becomes immobilized. An exemplary air brake assembly may be manufacturedby Aventics GmbH, Laatzen, Germany.

It will be appreciated that other spring-based mechanical brake devicesfor immobilizing the safety gate may be employed, in addition topneumatic actuation for helping to overcome the locking force applied bythe internal spring. Such actuation means ACT may include hydraulicactuation means, electric actuation means, magnetic actuation means, ora combination thereof, which are configured to act on bar 41 within thebore, such as via inlet 71 or in combination with control module 284.Any reference herein to an air brake assembly will be understood to berelevant as well to other types of mechanical brake assemblies, mutatismutandis.

Reference will now be made to FIGS. 7-10, which illustrate thecomponents for controllably displacing the chute. The drive componentsenable the chute to undergo the following three types of motion: (1)vertical motion by being pivoted about a horizontal axis, (2) linearmotion by being extended or retracted, and (3) lateral motion by beingpivoted about a vertical axis.

As shown in FIG. 7, funnel 9 is configured with an upper receivingcompartment 51, a lower refuse transfer compartment 53, and a horizontalmounting plate 55 therebetween that surrounds the upper edge 58 ofrefuse transfer compartment 53.

Refuse transfer compartment 53 has a bottom circular edge 56, and aperipheral wall 54 that extends obliquely and upwardly at apredetermined slope to mounting plate 55 to define an upper oval edge58. Upper receiving compartment 51 is defined by a vertical peripheralwall 52 that projects upwardly from mounting plate 55 in such a way tocoincide with upper oval edge 58 at curved portion 52 a thereof and toextend tangentially from upper edge 58 at two straight portions 52 b and52 c thereof. Peripheral wall 52 also has two opposed guide portions 52d and 52 e that are substantially perpendicular to straight portions 52b and 52 c, respectively, and that extend only a fraction of the widthbetween the two straight portions 52 b and 52 c.

Two pairs of vertical apertured supports 57, within which a pivot pinconnected to the chute is rotatably mounted, extend upwardly frommounting plate 55, located between a corresponding guide portion and thechute-facing edge 59 of mounting plate 55. A reinforced sloped brace 61extends downwardly from chute-facing edge 59, and a pair of aperturedsupports 62 for pivotal connection with a vertical-position adjustingpiston project from the bottom of sloped brace 61.

An annular rim 66 extends outwardly from bottom circular edge 56 ofrefuse transfer compartment 53. Annular rim 66 is connected to anannular rim 68 extending outwardly from the outer surface of the bearing67 shown in FIG. 8 to facilitate rotary motion of funnel 9 about avertical axis, resulting in lateral chute displacement. Bearing 67 isfitted within the upper horizontal roof 82 of compaction chamber 15,around a circular wall 84 delimiting an opening 85 through which thetransferred refuse is introduced into the interior of the compactionchamber. Opening 85 is located at approximately one-quarter the lengthof compaction chamber 15, closer to forward edge 122 (FIG. 9).

FIG. 9 illustrates many of the drive components for the unloadingsystem. The chute is configured with outer section 8A and inner section8B in order to facilitate an extension or retraction operation,according to one embodiment of the invention.

The cylinder of vertical-position adjusting piston 72 is pivotallyconnected to supports 62 at the bottom of sloped funnel brace 61 and itsrod is pivotally connected to lug 92 connected to outer section 8A. Thecylinder of length-adjusting piston 89 is connected to lug 92 and itsrod is connected to lug 39 of inner section 8B. A lateral-positionadjusting mechanism 105 is connected to an upper region of compactionchamber 15 and to a region of funnel 9.

As shown in more detail in FIG. 10, pin supports 81 are located at anintermediate region, e.g. at approximately one-quarter of thelongitudinal length of outer chute section 8A, as measured from thefunnel-facing end 83 thereof. Since vertical-position adjusting piston72 (FIG. 9) is connected to sloped funnel brace 61 and is thereforeoblique to outer chute section 8A at pin supports 81, the extension orretraction of the rod of piston 72 by a minimally applied forcetransmits a relatively large moment to the chute, to cause pivotaldisplacement of the chute and a change in vertical position of thesafety gate.

Pivotal displacement of the chute is made possible by a lug 88, e.g.concave, that is attached to outer chute section 8A proximate tofunnel-facing end 83 and that has two spaced protruding aperture pinsupports 78. Each pin support 78 is adapted for insertion between acorresponding pair of funnel-mounted apertured supports 57 (FIG. 7), tofacilitate pivotal displacement of the chute about the horizontal axisdefined by a pin inserted within the aligned apertures of supports 57and 78 in response to extension or retraction of the rod ofvertical-position adjusting piston 72.

The cylinder of length-adjusting piston 89 is connected to the pair ofsupports 87. Supports 87 may be positioned at one end of lug 92 which isconnected to pin supports 81, or alternatively may be spaced fromsupports 87 such that supports 81 and 87 protrude directly from theouter convex surface of outer chute section 8A. The rod oflength-adjusting piston 89 is connected to spaced supports 94 protrudingfrom lug 39, which is connected to the underside of inner chute section8B, as shown in FIG. 10A.

As shown in FIGS. 11A-E, outer chute section 8A is configured with aguide 96 having one or more U-shaped cross sections. Guide 96, which maylongitudinally extend throughout the length of outer chute section 8A,may have a first rectangular surface 97 and, a second rectangularsurface 98 substantially parallel to first surface 97, and a surface 99that interconnects, and is substantially perpendicular to, surfaces 97and 98. Each guide 96 may be formed integrally with outer chute section8A, or may be connected thereto.

Inner chute section 8B, which is partially illustrated in FIG. 11A forclarity, is configured with two opposed longitudinally extending lips31, e.g. rectangular, each of which is adapted to be received in acorresponding guide 96. The underside of each thin lip 31 is reinforcedat various regions thereof, e.g. four regions, by a correspondingreinforcing element 95, which is secured by one or more inclined braces91 connected to the refuse-contactable surface of inner chute section 8Band which is generally parallel to surfaces 97 and 98. When the rod oflength-adjusting piston 89 is extended or retracted, inner chute section8B is correspondingly increasingly extended or retracted in response,while the linear displacement of the inner chute section is urged by thecooperation between each lip 31 and the corresponding guide 96. One ormore sliders 102 may be fixed to each lip 31 and received in guide 96 inorder to reduce friction during linear displacement of inner chutesection 8B. For example, as shown in FIG. 11D, a first slider 102 a isattached to lip 31 and a second slider 102 b is attached to reinforcingelement 95 located below lip 31.

Lateral-position adjusting mechanism 105 for laterally displacing thechute is illustrated in FIG. 12. Mechanism 105 compriseslateral-position adjusting piston 101, straight link 104 and arcuatelink 107. An oblique beam 112 fixed at angle with respect to parallelreinforcement beams 109 at the upper region of compaction chamber 15 isused to support mechanism 105.

One end of arcuate link 107 is pivotally connected to triangularappendage 106, which in turn is fixedly connected to the annular funnelrim 66. For example, arcuate link 107 is pivotally connected to the apexof triangular appendage 106 that is attached to rim 66. The second endof arcuate link 107 is pivotally connected together with a first end ofstraight link 104 and with the terminal end of the rod oflateral-position adjusting piston 101 by pin 114. The second end ofstraight link 104 is pivotally connected to a pair of vertically spacedpin supports 116 that are fixedly connected to oblique beam 112. Thecylinder of lateral-position adjusting piston 101 is pivotally connectedto a region of oblique beam 112 that is more spaced from funnel 9 thansupports 116.

The use of arcuate link 107 significantly increases the magnitude of themoment that is able to be transmitted to annular rim 66 at the beginningand end of the stroke of lateral-position adjusting piston 101, eventhough the moment generated by a piston rod is relatively weak at thebeginning and end of its stroke. Thus funnel 9 is able to be rotated ata substantially uniform and optimal speed in each rotational directionin order to adjust the lateral position of the chute.

FIG. 13 illustrates chute 8 while undergoing adjustment of its lateralposition, for example a total angular displacement of 90 degrees about avertical axis, i.e. 45 degrees from the starting position, followingactivation of the lateral-position adjusting mechanism.

FIG. 14 illustrates chute 8 while undergoing adjustment of its verticalposition, for example an angular displacement of 52 degrees with respectto a starting substantially horizontal position, following activation ofthe vertical-position adjusting piston. Safety gate 5 is shown to remainin falling preventing relation despite the angular displacement of chute8 about a horizontal axis, while the funnel-facing end of chute 8 isintroduced within the interior of upper receiving compartment 51 offunnel 9 in order to effectively transfer the airplane-derived refuse tocompaction chamber 15.

Chute 8 is also illustrated while undergoing extension and retraction,following activation of the length-adjusting piston.

Chute 8, when in the starting horizontal position, is supported by oneor more supports 45 illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 40A-B. A chute support 45comprises two horizontal connecting plates 46 that are connected fromabove to an upper reinforcement beam 109 of the compaction chamber, twoconverging braces 47 that obliquely extend upwardly from a correspondingplate 46, and a side-stop 48 attached to the upper junction of the twobraces 47. A side-stop 48, which may be positioned above the lateralcenterline of the compaction chamber, is configured with a centralrectangular and horizontal element 38 and with two oblique side wings 49for abutment with a portion of the chute. A chute portion may rest onside-stop 48.

Compacting System

Prior art compacting systems comprising a top and continuously loadedcompaction chamber suffer from the risk that refuse continues to beintroduced via an upper opening into the compaction chamber while thevertical platen has been displaced rearwardly to participate in acompacting operation and therefore cannot be compacted even after theplaten has been returned to its starting position. Another disadvantageof prior art compacting systems is that they employ one or morehydraulic rams of a sufficiently long length that enable the platen tocompress the introduced refuse when the platen is displaced to a firstdistance and to discharge the compressed refuse from the compactionchamber when the platen is displaced to a second distance and a reardoor member is opened; however, due to its long length, the ram has tobe positioned such that it protrudes forwardly from the compactionchamber in anticipation of a subsequent compaction operation while itconveys refuse-derived liquids that it has contacted during thecompaction operation outwardly from the compaction chamber,unnecessarily soiling the exterior of the service vehicle to such adegree that it often is unable to be satisfactorily cleaned. Also, anexorbitant amount of hydraulic fluid needs to be employed in order toactuate the hydraulic ram during a compacting operation, a larger oilflow and tank capacity are needed, and time consuming maintenanceoperations are required, due to the long length of the hydraulic ram.

These disadvantages are obviated by the compacting system of the presentinvention, which comprises a main platen mount, an auxiliary platenmount adapted to movably support the main platen mount thereunder, and apiston holder movably positioned underneath the auxiliary platen mountfor increasing the linear displacement of the main platen mount. Themain platen mount is therefore able to be linearly displaced a firstdistance relative to the auxiliary platen mount in order to perform acompacting operation, and is able to be subsequently linearly displaceda second distance by means of the piston holder, together with theauxiliary platen mount, using short-stroke pistons.

The main platen mount has a surface which occludes, when the main platenmount is rearwardly displaced in order to perform a compactionoperation, the upper opening through which refuse is normally introducedinto the compaction chamber. Thus introduction of refuse into thecompaction chamber forwardly of the main platen is restricted, while theintroduced refuse is able to be directed into the large interior of thecompaction chamber rearwardly of the upper opening.

In this fashion, the occluding surface of the main platen mount can havea length of only 15-20% the length of the entire compaction chamber andbe positioned completely forwardly of an unobstructed upper openingwhile refuse is being introduced to provide a compaction chamber havinga sufficiently large interior to hold the refuse derived fromapproximately 100 airplanes, yet the short-stroke pistons of the mainplaten mount are able to generate a sufficiently large compaction forcetogether with those of the auxiliary platen mount.

Although the compacting system is described in conjunction with theunloading system for airplane-derived refuse, it will be appreciatedthat the compacting system is also applicable for any other top loadedcompaction chamber.

Reference is first made to FIG. 9, which illustrates compacting system20 according to one embodiment of the present invention, shown in astarting position whereby main platen mount 121, auxiliary platen mount123 and piston holder 127 are all disposed relatively close to forwardedge 122 of compaction chamber 15 and rear door member 220 is in aclosed position, with a portion of main platen mount 121 protrudingforwardly from the rectilinear compaction chamber 15. At this startingposition, funnel 9 is not occluded and the airplane-derived refuse isallowed to be introduced into the interior of compaction chamber 15.

Compaction chamber 15 may be also configured with an opening 119, alsoshown in FIG. 8, formed in an intermediate region of side wall 18thereof. Opening 119 accommodates the introduction from the side ofrefuse into compaction chamber 15, for example derived from lightaircraft whose access door may be located at a height below that of roof82 of compaction chamber 15. Refuse introduced through side opening 119is directed rearwardly of the main platen when the latter is disposed ata forwardmost position.

Compaction chamber 15 has a uniform rectilinear cross section fromforward edge 122 to rear post 129 (FIG. 36), excluding openings 85 and119, to facilitate a cost effective manufacturing procedure. Compactionchamber 15 has a limited height to avoid interference between funnel 9and the wings of an airplane when the compaction chamber is beingtransported by transport vehicle 12 (FIG. 1). By virtue of its uniqueconfiguration, as will be described hereinafter, the compacting systemhas an advantageously low weight while being able to receive andcompress a large volume of refuse, so that transport vehicle 12supporting the compaction system is also to be of a cost effective lowweight, for example a 15-ton transport vehicle requiring only a forwardset 2 and a rear set 3 of tires.

Although the following description relates to a circular upper opening85, configured to cooperate with funnel 9, other embodiments of thecompacting system are envisioned that provide a differently shaped upperopening, such as a rectangular upper opening.

Main platen mount 121 is illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16, and comprises asubstantially vertical main platen 132 and a substantially horizontaloccluding surface 133 that is rigid and non-yielding. Main platen 132downwardly extends from the rear edge of occluding surface 133 toauxiliary platen mount 123 (FIG. 17). Occluding surface 133 is shown tobe trapezoidal for weight savings, with the short edge 134 thereofdistant from main platen 132, but may assume any other desired shape.

The forward region of main platen mount 121 is open to accommodate themovement of two oblique hydraulic cylinders, as will be describedhereinafter. Even though occluding surface 133 forwardly projects frommain platen 132, occluding surface 133 is supported by a plurality oflower beams 136 a-d, and a plurality of columns 137 and braces 138, eachof which connected at a first end to a beam or to an appendage connectedthereto and connected at a second end to the underside of occludingsurface 133 or another support element connected thereto. The twolaterally extending beams 136 b and 136 d define the lengthwisedimension of the support members of main platen mount 121. Two outwardlyopen, rectilinear linear bearing holders 142 are connected to, andextend downwardly from, each of lengthwise extending beams 136 a and 136c, so that a linear sliding bearing, e.g. made of Nylatron®, when heldthereby will be horizontally oriented.

An upwardly open channel 149, e.g. having a C-shaped cross section, maybe attached to peripheral edges of occluding surface 133. As shown,channel 149 is attached to the short forward edge 134 of occludingsurface 133 and to a forward region of side edges 135 a-b thereof, suchthat the channel is continuous. The upper edge of channel 149 ispositioned below occluding surface 133, so that refuse-derived liquidscontacted by main platen 132 during a compaction operation and sprayedor otherwise transferred to occluding surface 133 will be receivedwithin channel 149 to prevent the soiling of the transport vehicle orits surroundings by the liquid. The compaction chamber may be disposedat a slight incline, e.g. of 1-2 degrees, such that the rearward end ofthe compaction chamber is below its forward end to allow the receivedliquids to be gravitationally discharged from channel 149 onto thebottom surface of the compaction chamber. Channel 149 may be disposed ata greater incline than the compaction chamber, such as an additional 5-6degrees with respect to the bottom surface of the compaction chamber,i.e. 7-8 degrees.

Occluding surface 133 may be configured with a ramped and recessedsurface 139, which is shown to be rectangular but may assume othershapes as well. Ramped surface 139 may coincide with a widthwisecenterline of occluding surface 133, and extend rearwardly from acentral region of occluding surface 133 to main platen 132 at an angleof approximately 45 degrees, for example ranging from 30-60 degrees. Anopening defined by ramped surface 139 prevents deformation of the roofof the compaction chamber when refuse becomes clogged between the mainplaten mount and the roof.

Two spaced, vertically oriented pivot mounts 146 for pivotal connectionto a corresponding obliquely disposed hydraulic cylinder are centrallyattached to beam 136 d, for example below ramped surface 139.

Auxiliary platen mount 123 is illustrated in FIGS. 17-19. Auxiliaryplaten mount 123 comprises a horizontally disposed refuse-receivingsurface 151, e.g. rectangular, on which the airplane-derived refusefalls after passing through the funnel. The obliquely disposed auxiliaryplaten 154 extends between the similarly shaped side of two trapezoidal,vertically oriented fixtures 156 which are connected to, and extenddownwardly from, the rearward end of refuse-receiving surface 151.

Refuse-receiving surface 151 may be configured with two laterally spaceddrainage openings 152 that are formed at a central and laterally outwardregion thereof. Refuse-derived liquids discharged from channel 149 (FIG.15) may be received by drainage openings 152 and then deliveredrearwardly onto the compaction chamber floor 177 (FIG. 20A) bycorresponding sloped surfaces 179 attached to the underside ofrefuse-receiving surface 151.

Two opposed, lengthwise extending guide rails 153, i.e. parallel to thecompaction chamber side wall, within which the linear sliding bearingsof the main platen mount are receivable to allow displacement of themain platen mount relative to auxiliary platen mount 123, are connectedto the lateral sides of refuse-receiving surface 151 and protrudevertically thereabove. An abutment 157 is connected to the forward sideof refuse-receiving surface 151 and protrudes vertically thereabove. Anangled bracket 158, to which is affixed a corresponding pivot mount 159,is attached to the upper surface of each guide rail 153 at the forwardend thereof and to the adjacent upper surface of abutment 157. The twoangled brackets 158 are rearwardly open, to accommodate the movement ofan oblique hydraulic cylinder connected at one end to a correspondingpivot mount 159 and at a second end to a corresponding pivot mount 146of the main platen mount (FIG. 16).

Two retractable eyelet protectors 163 are fitted in auxiliary platen154, below refuse-receiving surface 151. An eyelet adapted forconnection to a piston rod positioned parallel to guide rail 153 isexposed upon retraction of a protector 163.

A leg 161 attached to a bottom surface of a corresponding guide rail153, at a forward portion thereof, extends downwardly from the guiderail. Leg 161 may have a triangular cross section, to allow a portion ofthe leg to be additionally attached to one of the reinforcement elements164 secured to the underside of refuse-receiving surface 151. A linearbearing holder 162 is attached to the bottom of the laterally outwardsurface of each of fixture 156 and leg 161, which are coplanar, so thata linear sliding bearing secured to each bearing holder 162 will beslidingly displaceable along a corresponding guide rail 173, which isfixed to the bottom of a side wall 176 of compaction chamber 15 and incontact with compaction chamber floor 177, as shown in FIG. 20A, toenable lengthwise displacement of the auxiliary platen mount.

A lengthwise extending, rectilinear coupler 167 configured with a lowerlengthwise extending slit is secured to a central region of theunderside of refuse-receiving surface 151, and may pass throughreinforcement elements 164 which are substantially perpendicularthereto. Coupler 167 is used for engagement with the piston holder 127(FIG. 21).

A planar strengthening appendage 174 with a laterally outwardlyextending lip 178 may be attached to the side wall of a correspondingguide rail 153 of auxiliary platen mount 123. Lip 178 minimizes theingress to the hydraulic cylinders of any gravitating refuse-derivedliquids and of any refuse-derived small solids. Elongated fixture 171(FIG. 20A), which is attached to side wall 176 of compaction chamber 15above guide rail 173, serves as additional means for protecting thehydraulic cylinders from any gravitating refuse-derived liquids.

Piston holder 127 is illustrated in FIGS. 21-24.

Piston holder 127 has a forwardly positioned, laterally extending beam182, which is equipped at each end with a linear bearing holder 184, sothat a linear sliding bearing secured thereto will be slidinglydisplaceable along a corresponding guide rail 173 (FIG. 20A), to enablelengthwise displacement of the piston holder. An elongated andvertically oriented support member 187 is connected by means ofcentrally located pedestal 183 and overlying extender 185 to, andextends lengthwise along a line substantially coinciding with thecenterline of, beam 182. Two lengthwise separated eyelets 188, which maybe through holes, for facilitating connection with a correspondingparallel-positioned hydraulic cylinder, are formed near a correspondinglengthwise, triangularly shaped end 194 of support member 187, toaccommodate opposite orientation of the two parallel-positionedhydraulic cylinders. An arcuate cylinder retainer 189 with a horizontallengthwise axis may be fixed to support member 187 at a location that isslightly spaced from a corresponding eyelet 188 to limit movement of acylinder. A horizontal plate 193 is connected to one or more braces, forexample to oblique brace 196 extending between beam 182 and supportmember 187 at a corresponding side thereof, to guard and protect tubes,hoses and other ancillary equipment associated with aparallel-positioned hydraulic cylinder from gravitating refuse.

A horizontally disposed, twin linear bearing holder unit 191, which isprovided with two bearing holders 198 in side by side relation, issecured to the rearward end 194 of support member 187, so as to bevertically spaced above the upper surface of support member 187, forexample by a distance of approximately 10 cm. A vertical divider 192separating the two bearing holders 198 extends downwardly and is securedby an obliquely disposed thickened portion 197 to a side wall 195 ofrearward end 194, without interfering with eyelet 188 formedtherethrough. In this fashion, twin linear bearing holder unit 191 isinsertable within, and slidable along, coupler 167 of auxiliary platenmount 123 (FIG. 19), after a bearing is secured to each holder, whiledivider 192 extends through the lower slit of coupler 167.

Support member 187 is located at a height above beam 182 to provide asmall clearance of at least 7 cm, e.g. 7-15 cm, between the compactionchamber floor and support member 187 for cleaning purposes. The taperedconfiguration of piston holder 127 by which the width between opposedbraces 196 is progressively decreased in a rearward direction and thelengthwise ends 194 of support member 187 are triangularly shaped suchthat a bottom surface thereof is longer than an upper surface thereoffacilitate manipulation of a cleaning implement through and to the sidesof piston holder 127, in such a way that refuse is able to be completelycleared from the compaction chamber floor, a condition that heretoforewas infeasible due to the wide and untapered configuration of thecompacting system, and particularly of the prior art platen mount.

Another means for facilitating removal of refuse from the compactionchamber is illustrated in FIGS. 20B, 25 and 38. The rearward end ofcompaction chamber floor 177 is configured with a rearwardly slopedportion 203, along which incompressible pieces of refuse aredischargeable following a compacting operation, and with a horizontalportion 204 extending rearwardly from sloped portion 203 and recessedfrom floor 177. During the end of a discharging operation when mainplaten 132 and auxiliary platen 154 are driven in unison towards arearwardly pivotable door member to displace the compressed refuse, asurface 246 of the door member, which may be a sealing element, is inabutting relation with horizontal portion 204. Solid pieces of refuse,e.g. hard pieces, which were trapped forwardly of the forwardmostposition of main platen 132 and were displaced rearwardly along floor177 by a manual cleaning implement, are thus able to fall to, and becollected within, horizontal portion 204 located therebelow and besubsequently discharged from the compaction chamber.

An assembled compacting system 20 is illustrated in FIG. 26. Laterallyextending beam 182 of the piston holder, after a sliding bearing 201aligned therewith is received in a corresponding guide rail 173 attachedto a compaction chamber side wall and twin linear bearing holder unit191 is received in coupler 167 of the auxiliary platen mount, is shownto be located slightly above compaction chamber floor 177. When slidingbearing 206 of the main platen mount which is secured to holder 142 isreceived in a corresponding guide rail 153 of the auxiliary platenmount, forward abutment 157 of the auxiliary platen mount is below andin close proximity to beam 136 b of the main platen mount and occludingsurface 133 of the main platen mount is located slightly below, e.g. 3cm below, the lower surface 86 of the upper plate 82 of compactionchamber 15. Thus the main platen mount is able to be displaced withoutinterference with the compaction chamber, while maximizing the availablevolume within the compaction chamber for receiving and compactingrefuse. Likewise the main platen mount is able to be displaced relativeto the auxiliary platen mount, the auxiliary platen mount is able to bedisplaced relative to the piston holder, and the piston holder is ableto be displaced relative to the compaction chamber.

With reference also to FIG. 27, an oblique hydraulic cylinder 213 ispivotally attached at its first end to a corresponding pivot mount 159provided with an auxiliary platen mount bracket 158 (FIGS. 17 and 26)and the piston rod at its second end to a corresponding pivot mount 146(FIG. 16) provided with the main platen mount, passing through anopening defined between a centrally located column 137 and an obliquebrace 138 which is longitudinally spaced from the corresponding column137. By virtue of the oblique disposition of cylinder 213, thecompacting force applied thereby may be considerably greater than thatof the prior art, particularly at the end of the stroke, even though thelongitudinal length of the cylinder is smaller, to ensure that ahydraulic cylinder applying the compacting force will not have toprotrude from the compacting chamber and carry with it refuse-derivedliquids and solids that exit the compaction chamber through the openingthrough which the prior art cylinder protrudes.

A first parallel-positioned hydraulic cylinder 217 is connected to thepiston holder and its piston rod to the compaction chamber, and a secondparallel-positioned hydraulic cylinder 218 is connected to the pistonholder and its piston rod is connected to an eyelet of the auxiliaryplaten mount located underneath the refuse-receiving surface.

As shown in FIGS. 20C-D, one end of the first parallel-positionedhydraulic cylinder is connected to a pair of eyelets formed in twolaterally spaced, vertically oriented plates 221, which slightly extendrearwardly from a central support member 224 secured to the bottom ofcompaction chamber 15 at the forward edge 122 thereof. Braces 227 and228 extend obliquely from corresponding lateral ends of support member224 to a corresponding upper corner 229 of compaction chamber 15 at theforward edge 122 thereof, to provide a sufficiently large openingbetween the two braces for the passage therethrough of occluding surface133 of the main platen mount (FIG. 15).

The apparatus for opening and closing rear door member 220 will now bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 36-38.

Three-dimensional door member 220 is configured with two polygonal, orany other shaped, side walls 223 bounded by a straight forwardlypositioned structural member 222. A plurality of enclosing elements 226extend between the two side walls 223 to define the interior of doormember 220.

The upper end of each of the two opposed and outwardly positioned rearposts 129 of the compaction chamber, which is substantially parallel todoor member structural member 222 when door member 220 is closed, isconfigured with a pair of eyelets formed in two laterally spaced,triangularly shaped and vertically oriented plates 232, for the pivotalconnection thereto of a corresponding cylinder 237. Near the bottom ofthe rearward face of post 129 is formed an elongated aperture 236, and afixture 238 connected to post 129 and substantially perpendicularthereto extends rearwardly from a region corresponding to approximatelya centerline of aperture 236.

The upper end of door member 220 is pivotally connected to an upper rearstructural member of the compaction chamber, to facilitate pivotaldisplacement about a horizontal axis.

A pair of parallel and short attachment plates 241 are pivotallyconnected at one end to the piston rod 239 of cylinder 237 by pivotpoint 242 and fixedly connected at the other end to the elongated bar243 of a hook element 244. Hook element 244 has an arcuate tip 248,indicated by dashed lines as it is hidden in the view of FIGS. 36 and37, and a pointed protrusion 249 substantially parallel to thecenterline of bar 243 that slightly protrudes from attachment plates 241into the interior defined by the rounded inner surface of tip 248. Theterminal end of bar 243 is pivotally connected to a pivot point 247positioned at a central region of structural member 222 of door member220.

When door member 220 is in a closed position, as shown in FIGS. 36 and37, piston rod 239 of cylinder 237 is retracted and the rounded tip 248of hook element 244, which is hidden and schematically indicated bydashed lines, is caused to be received in aperture 236 from belowfixture 238 and to then be curved above the fixture, while pointedprotrusion 249 securely engages the bottom of fixture 238 to maintaindoor member structural member 222 in a substantially parallel relationto rear posts 129 of the compaction chamber.

As a result of the pivotal connection of hook element 244 to door memberstructural member 222 and of the pivotal connection of piston rod 239 tothe attachment plates 241 which are connected to hook element bar 243,the controlled extension of piston rod 239 causes counterclockwiserotation of hook element 244 with respect to the orientation illustratedin FIG. 37 so that it will become released from rear post 129. Completeextension of piston rod 239 causes door member 220 to become pivotedapproximately 90 degrees to a fully opened position illustrated in FIG.38, allowing the compressed refuse received in the interior of the doormember to gravitate downwardly therefrom to a waste disposal site.

FIGS. 28-35 illustrate different stages of compacting and dischargingoperations. The first and second stages are performed during unloadingof the refuse, for example airplane-derived refuse when the compactionchamber is secured to a transport vehicle, in order to introduce therefuse into the upper opening. The third and fourth stages are performedat a waste disposal site prior to discharging the refuse outwardly fromthe compaction chamber.

Two symmetrically disposed oblique hydraulic cylinders 213 are adaptedto displace main platen mount 121 relative to auxiliary platen mount 123when parallel-positioned hydraulic cylinders 217 and 218 are stationaryand provide the required reactive force. Parallel-positioned hydrauliccylinder 218 is adapted to displace auxiliary platen mount 123 relativeto piston holder 127 when parallel-positioned hydraulic cylinder 217 isstationary and provides the required reactive force. Parallel-positionedhydraulic cylinder 217 is adapted to displace piston holder 127 relativeto compaction chamber 15.

In the first stage illustrated in FIGS. 28 and 29, the piston rod ofcylinders 213, 217 and 218 are retracted to provide a reactive force,and main platen mount 121, auxiliary platen mount 123, and piston holder127 are all located at their forwardmost position. At this forwardmostposition, main platen mount 121 is located completely forwardly torefuse-introducible opening 85, while short forward edge 134 of itsoccluding surface is located forwardly to forward edge 122 of compactionchamber 15. Thus refuse introduced through opening 85 will gravitateonto the refuse-receiving surface of auxiliary platen mount 123, and isprevented by the main platen from being introduced forwardly to opening85. Eventually, additionally introduced refuse falls to compactionchamber floor 177 rearwardly to auxiliary platen mount 123.

In the second stage illustrated in FIGS. 30 and 31, each piston rod ofoblique hydraulic cylinders 213 is extended, resulting in angulardisplacement of the cylinders, to cause rearward displacement of mainplaten mount 121 while auxiliary platen mount 123 remains at theforwardmost position. In this position, the main platen and theauxiliary platen are substantially aligned. Refuse located on therefuse-receiving surface of auxiliary platen mount 123 will therefore bedeflected rearwardly by the main platen onto compaction chamber floor177 and compressed to a certain degree. The occluding surface of mainplaten mount 121 accordingly prevents additional refuse to be introducedinto the compaction chamber. The auxiliary platen prevents the deflectedrefuse from returning forwardly.

These first and second stages may be performed cyclically, whetherperiodically or intermittently, in order to rearwardly deflect theintroduced refuse and to vacate room for additional refuse to beintroduced, while compressing the previously deflected refuse. Thecompressed refuse is eventually received within the interior of theclosed door member 220. The number of cycles during performance of thefirst and second stages may range from 1-1000 continuous cycles,depending on the discretion of the operator, e.g. 3 or 5 cycles, forexample during periods of reduced supply of refuse.

As will be described hereinafter, control system 270 (FIG. 39) disablesoperation of parallel-positioned hydraulic cylinders 217 and 218 duringthe first and second stages when door member 220 is closed, to preventintroduction of refuse forwardly to main platen mount 121.

In the third stage illustrated in FIGS. 32 and 33, door member 220 isset to an opened position, to enable operation of parallel-positionedhydraulic cylinders 217 and 218. While door member 220 is opened, therefuse that has been received therewithin during each cycle of thesecond stage gravitates onto a region of the waste disposal site. Thepiston rod of parallel-positioned hydraulic cylinder 217 is thus allowedto be extended while the piston rod of parallel-positioned hydrauliccylinder 218 remains retracted. Main platen mount 121, auxiliary platenmount 123, and piston holder 127 are therefore displaced rearwardly inunison by a stroke equal to the length of the piston rod ofparallel-positioned hydraulic cylinder 217. Refuse is accordinglydisplaced rearwardly by the combined effort of the main platen and theauxiliary platen.

In the fourth stage illustrated in FIGS. 34 and 35, the piston rod ofparallel-positioned hydraulic cylinder 218 is extended. Main platenmount 121 and auxiliary platen mount 123 are therefore displacedrearwardly in unison relative to piston holder 127 by a stroke equal tothe length of the piston rod of parallel-positioned hydraulic cylinder218. Refuse is additionally displaced rearwardly by the combined effortof the main platen and the auxiliary platen, which occupy essentiallythe entire internal vertical dimension of the compaction chamber betweenthe compaction chamber roof to the compaction chamber floor, until theyare positioned at, or near to, a rear post 129 of compaction chamber 15.Through the combined effort of the main platen and the auxiliary platen,the refuse being displaced rearwardly is discharged at once fromcompaction chamber 15.

Following discharge of the refuse, these stages are reversed until mainplaten mount 121, auxiliary platen mount 123, and piston holder 127 arelocated at the forwardmost position shown in FIG. 28 and door member 220is set to a closed position.

These stages of the compacting and discharging operations may beperformed manually in response to user manipulation of input elements,following visualization of the interior of the compaction chamber orfollowing review of sensed refuse accumulation data, for examplepercentage of maximum compaction pressure derived from the force appliedon the platen, or maximum weight.

Alternatively, the compacting and discharging operations may beinitiated by user manipulation of one or more input elements. Mainplaten mount 121 is consequently caused to cyclically reciprocate alongthe refuse-receiving surface of auxiliary platen mount 123 in responseto corresponding extension and retraction of oblique hydraulic cylinders213 during the first and second stages regardless of whether refuse isbeing introduced through the upper opening of the compaction chamber.Even if some refuse elements are conveyed forwardly and fall onto thecompaction chamber floor, they are able to be easily removed from thecompaction chamber as described hereinabove. After the compactionchamber is transported to the waste disposal site, an input element 285(FIG. 39) may be manipulated to cause the door member to be set to anopened position, whereupon the third and fourth stages may beautomatically performed in response to sensed conditions.

These four stages are advantageously performed in conjunction with amain platen mount 121, auxiliary platen mount 123 and piston holder 127of predefined dimensions, in order to accommodate selectedpayload-suitable dimensions of compaction chamber 15.

With reference to FIGS. 41 and 42, the following are some of thedimensional relations that facilitate efficient compacting operations:

-   -   a) The lengthwise dimension K of occluding surface 133 of the        main platen mount is approximately equal to the sum of the        diameter L of upper opening 85 and an additional distance T        representing the compressibility of refuse, e.g. 200 mm.    -   b) The lengthwise dimension R from upper opening 85 to forward        edge 122 of compaction chamber 15 is less than one-quarter of        the lengthwise length S of the compaction chamber.    -   c) The lengthwise dimension M of refuse-receiving surface 151 of        the auxiliary platen mount is approximately equal to the sum of        the lengthwise dimension N of the support members of the main        platen mount, i.e. between laterally extending beams 136 b and        136 d (FIG. 16), and the lengthwise stroke O of the piston rod        of oblique hydraulic cylinders 213.    -   d) The lengthwise stroke O of the piston rod of oblique        hydraulic cylinders 213 is equal to the sum of the diameter L of        upper opening 85 and an additional distance T representing the        compressibility of refuse, e.g. 200 mm.    -   e) The lengthwise dimension P between the two separated eyelets        188 of piston holder 127 (FIG. 21), to which corresponding        parallel-positioned hydraulic cylinders 217 and 218 are        connected, is no longer than dimension M.    -   f) The vertical dimension MP of main platen 132, which extends        downwardly from occluding surface 133 to auxiliary platen mount        123, ranges from 60-90% of the internal vertical dimension H of        compaction chamber 15 between the lower surface 86 of the        compaction chamber roof to compaction chamber floor 177.    -   g) The vertical dimension AP of auxiliary platen 154, which        extends downwardly from main platen 132 to compaction chamber        floor 177, ranges from 10-40% of the internal vertical dimension        H of compaction chamber 15.

For example, a compaction chamber having a lengthwise length S of 5200mm and a width of 2295 mm had an internal vertical dimension H of 1200mm. The main platen had a vertical dimension MP of 900 mm providing alarge MP/H ratio of 0.75. The auxiliary platen, slidingly displaceablealong the compaction chamber floor at approximately the same height as atriangular support member end of the piston holder, had a verticaldimension AP of 300 mm. The support members of the main platen mount hada lengthwise dimension N of 1000 mm, which was equal to dimension R, andthe lengthwise stroke O of the oblique hydraulic cylinders driving themain platen mount was 1200 mm. The ratio N/S, representing thepercentage of the compaction chamber volume unavailable for receivingrefuse, was a small value of 0.192.

By virtue of these dimensional relations, the length of compactionchamber 15 is accordingly minimized while main platen mount 121 is ableto deflect rearwardly and compress the refuse introduced through upperopening 85, yet main platen mount 121 is able to be located completelyforwardly to upper opening 85 at its forwardmost position to enableintroduction of the refuse through upper opening 85.

Control System

FIG. 39 schematically illustrates control system 270 that is operable inconjunction with the unloading system and the compacting system. Somecomponents are dispensed with when only the unloading system isemployed, or when only the compacting system is employed.

Control system 270 comprises a power take-off (PTO) unit 275, which isconfigured to couple with engine 272 of the transport vehicle and totransmit torque to one or more hydraulic pumps 276 used for powering anon-board vehicle hydraulic system 281 for use by the unloading andcompacting system. The engine also powers other auxiliary componentssuch as air compressor 294 and an air reservoir 296 filled by thecompressor, for selectively delivering pressurized air to air brakesystem 299 and emergency air control 301. Emergency air control 301 isadapted to activate control module 284 pneumatically during periods ofelectrical outage, so that the unloading system will be able to beoperated. Thus the unloading system can be returned to a drivingposition. PTO 275 may be driven by means of gearbox 277, by means ofsplined drive shaft 289 powered directly by engine 272, or directlydriven by engine 272 via connection means 288.

If engine 272, PTO 275 and hydraulic pumps 276 all malfunction, powercan be supplied to the unloading system by emergency hand pump 273.

Hydraulic system 281 comprises manifold block 282 provided with aplurality of conduits, each of extending to a corresponding hydrauliccylinder, a selector module 283 for selecting, whether manually orautomatically, which cylinders are to receive pressurized hydraulicfluid, and an electrohydraulic control module 284 for controllingoperation of each of the cylinders. Electrohydraulic control module 284is in data communication with a first group of sensors 287, such aslimit switches, which are adapted to sense various actions associatedwith the unloading system and the compacting system.

Alternatively, pneumatically or electrically actuated, linearlydisplacing force transmitting elements may be employed for controllingoperation of the unloading system and the compacting system inconjunction with the first group of sensors 287.

A logic controller 292 in data communication with engine shutdown unit295 receives data from a second group of safety related sensors 297.Based on the input from sensors 297, logic controller 292 determineswhether to shut down engine 272 in accordance with stored instructions,and commands operation of engine shutdown unit 295 in response to sensedconditions. Alternatively, logic controller 292 commands a drive lockunit 291 with which it is in data communication to prevent transmission286 from engaging with the drive or reverse gear or to cause engagementof the handbrakes 298.

User input elements interfacing with selector module 283 for selectivelyactivating or deactivating the unloading system and for selectivelyactivating or deactivating the compacting system are generally providedin the cabin of the transport vehicle. Additionally or alternatively,the user input elements may be provided at safety gate 5, for use bypersonnel located proximately to the above-ground access door of anairplane from which refuse is unloadable, or may be provided at aforward surface of compaction chamber 15, for use by ground-locatedpersonnel.

Control system 270 is configured with at least the following ten safetyfeatures:

1. According to one embodiment, PTO unit 275 is driven at a givenrotational speed by a first shaft of engine-engaged gearbox 277 by meansof clutch 278. A second separated shaft of gearbox 277 transmits powerfor propelling the transport vehicle by means of clutch 279 totransmission 286. Since gearbox 277 changes the rotational speed byselection of a gear, PTO unit 275 is not allowed to be engaged withgearbox 277 to transmit torque to a hydraulic pump 276 while driving.PTO unit 275 is allowed to be operated when logic controller 292receives a signal transmitted by a sensor 297 associated with gearbox277 that indicates that the neutral or parking gear has been selected.

2. The transport vehicle cannot be driven when PTO unit 275 is engagedwith gearbox 277 and the unloading system or the compacting system isbeing operated. If the transport vehicle is attempted to be driven,logic controller 292 receives an input from both a first sensor 297associated with gearbox 277 indicative that one of the driving gears hasbeen selected and from a second sensor 297 indicative that PTO unit 275is in operation, and commands engine shutdown unit 295 to initiate anengine shutdown procedure or drive lock unit 291 to cause engagementwith the parking or neutral gear or with handbrake 298.

3. The transport vehicle cannot be driven when the chute is extended orin an elevated position due to the risk in damage to the chute. A firstsensor 297 may be located between the outer 8A and inner chute 8Bsections (FIG. 10), to sense when the inner chute section is completelyretracted. A second sensor 297 may be located on the side-stop of achute support 45 (FIG. 40A), to sense when the chute is in a horizontalposition and in abutment with the side-stop. Logic controller 292 willoverride engine shutdown unit 295 to enable engine ignition followingreception of data input from the first and second sensors 297.

4. The side-stop of a chute support 45 (FIG. 40A) may be provided withan angle sensor 287 to determine the angular disposition of the chutefollowing operation of vertical-position adjusting piston 72 (FIG. 9).Control module 284 disables operation of lateral-position adjustingpiston 101 (FIG. 12) if the chute is disposed at an angle of less than5-6 degrees from the horizontal plane of chute support 45, or if thechute is not centered with respect to the horizontal plane of chutesupport 45, to prevent damage to the side-stops.

5. In order to ensure that all refuse introduced into the compactionchamber can be removed therefrom during a compacting operation and toreduce the emission of unpleasant odors from the compaction chamber byavoiding the accumulation of refuse forwardly of the platens, controlmodule 284 disables the operation of parallel-positioned hydrauliccylinders 217 and 218 adapted to displace auxiliary platen mount 123 andpiston holder 127 (FIG. 34) if door member 220 is set to a closedposition. Structural member 222 of door member 220 (FIG. 36) may beprovided with a sensor 287 to determine whether the door member is in anopen or closed position.

6. Also, control module 284 disables operation of vertical-positionadjusting piston 72 (FIG. 9), length-adjusting piston 89, andlateral-position adjusting piston 101 (FIG. 12) to prevent displacementof the chute if auxiliary platen mount 123 is not disposed at theforwardmost position illustrated in FIG. 29. A forward edge of thecompaction chamber may be equipped with a sensor 287 to detect thepresence of auxiliary platen mount 123 at the forwardmost position.

7. To protect personnel located proximately to the above-ground airplaneaccess door, air brake system 299 is set to its default brakingposition, in response to a command by control module 284, whenvertical-position adjusting piston 72 (FIG. 9) has been deactivated, toindicate that safety gate 5 has been set in falling preventing relationwith respect to the access door. Conversely, air brake system 299 isautomatically deactivated when vertical-position adjusting piston 72 hasbeen activated to cause the chute to be separated from the airplanefuselage.

8. To prevent inadvertent damage to the airplane fuselage when the chuteis being directed to the airplane access door, safety gate 5 (FIG. 2)may be equipped with a plurality of flexible fingers, e.g. four fingers,extending downwardly from its bottom border element 21, each of whichbeing provided with a tactile sensor to detect contact with the airplanefuselage. Control module 284, after receiving an input from one of thesetactile sensors, disables operation of vertical-position adjustingpiston 72 (FIG. 9), length-adjusting piston 89, and lateral-positionadjusting piston 101 (FIG. 12) to prevent additional displacement of thechute that could damage the airplane. The control system is neverthelessconfigured to allow retraction of length-adjusting piston 89 even afterreceiving an input from one of the tactile sensors since a retractionoperation of course serves to reduce the possibility of contact with theairplane and to release the chute from the airplane fuselage.

9. Alternatively, the contact detecting apparatus may comprise a safetylaser scanner in data communication with control module 284, e.g. theS300 manufactured by SICK AG, Waldkirch, Germany, whereby a sensormounted on bottom border element 21 of safety gate 5 (FIG. 2) emits apulse beam that generates a safety light curtain forwardly and to thesides of the safety gate at a range of 100-150 mm. When the pulse beamis reflected by the airplane fuselage at this range, control module 284disables operation of vertical-position adjusting piston 72 (FIG. 9),length-adjusting piston 89, and lateral-position adjusting piston 101(FIG. 12) to prevent additional displacement of the chute that coulddamage the airplane. The control system is nevertheless configured torelease and to allow retraction of length-adjusting piston 89 even afterreceiving an input from the safety laser scanner.

As an added precaution in case the contact detecting apparatusmalfunctions, the peripheral border element 6 of safety gate 5 may beprovided with an elastomeric peripheral covering 11 (FIG. 3) thatprevents damage to the airplane body if inadvertently contacted bysafety gate 5.

10. All types of motion carried out by the unloading system, that is byvertical-position adjusting piston 72 (FIG. 9), length-adjusting piston89, and lateral-position adjusting piston 101 (FIG. 12), are uniform andcontrolled, so that that the impact of a collision with an airplanebody, if at all happening, will be low. Uniform and controlled motion ismade possible by the use of standardized hydraulic control valves, forexample CETOP 3 and 5 control valves, force-controlling pressure reliefvalves, speed controlling valves and check valves.

While some embodiments of the invention have been described by way ofillustration, it will be apparent that the invention can be carried outwith many modifications, variations and adaptations, and with the use ofnumerous equivalents or alternative solutions that are within the scopeof persons skilled in the art, without exceeding the scope of theclaims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A top-loaded refuse compacting system,comprising: a) a compaction chamber configured with an upper openingthrough which refuse is introducible; b) a main platen mount configuredwith a substantially vertical and rearwardly positioned main platen andwith a substantially horizontally disposed occluding surface foroccluding said upper opening, wherein said occluding surface of saidmain platen mount is located only slightly below a lower surface of anupper plate of said compaction chamber, to maximize an available volumewithin said compaction chamber for compacting refuse; c) one or moremain force transmitting elements in controllable driving engagement withsaid main platen mount that are always retained within an interior ofsaid compaction chamber; d) an auxiliary platen mount adapted to movablysupport the main platen mount thereunder and which is in controllabledriving engagement with the main platen mount by the one or more mainforce transmitting elements, the auxiliary platen mount configured witha substantially horizontally disposed refuse-receiving surface on whichthe introduced refuse is able to fall and with a rearwardly positionedauxiliary platen with which the main platen is alignable; and e) apiston holder by which a plurality of additional force transmittingelements are operatively held and movably positioned underneath theauxiliary platen mount, the additional force transmitting elements beinga first and second opposite oriented and parallel-positionedshort-stroke hydraulic cylinders that are always retained within theinterior of said compaction chamber, the first parallel-positionedhydraulic cylinder being in controllable driving engagement with aregion of said compaction chamber and the second parallel-positionedhydraulic cylinder being in controllable driving engagement with saidauxiliary platen mount, wherein said piston holder has a forwardlypositioned, laterally extending beam, which is equipped at each end witha linear bearing holder, so that a linear sliding bearing securedthereto will be slidingly displaceable along a corresponding guide rail,to facilitate lengthwise displacement of said piston holder, whereinsaid one or more main force transmitting elements are adapted toperiodically or intermittently drive said main platen mount linearlybetween a first position at which said main platen mount is locatedcompletely forwardly of said upper opening to enable introduction ofrefuse through said upper opening, and a second position spacedrearwardly from said first position at which said upper opening iscompletely occluded by said occluding surface, to prevent additionalrefuse from being introduced into the interior of said compactionchamber, wherein at said first position, said main platen mount,auxiliary platen mount, and piston holder are all located at theirforwardmost position and said main platen mount is located completelyforwardly of said upper opening to prevent refuse from being introducedforwardly to said upper opening, and at said second position, each ofthe one or more main force transmitting elements is extended to causerearward displacement of said main platen mount while said auxiliaryplaten mount remains at the forwardmost position, so that the mainplaten and the auxiliary platen are substantially aligned and saidoccluding surface of said main platen mount prevents additional refuseto be introduced into said compaction chamber, wherein the main platenis adapted to deflect the introduced refuse located on therefuse-receiving surface rearwardly onto a floor of the compactionchamber when the main platen is driven from said first position to saidsecond position, wherein the main platen mount, auxiliary platen mount,and piston holder are rearwardly and linearly displaceable in unison toa third position by a first distance relative to the second positionwhich is equal to a stroke being equal to a length of a piston rod ofthe first parallel-positioned hydraulic cylinder, to displace thedeflected refuse by a combined effort of said main platen and auxiliaryplaten, and wherein said main platen mount and said auxiliary platenmount are rearwardly and linearly displaceable in unison to a fourthposition by a second distance relative to said third position which isequal to a stroke being equal to a length of a piston rod of the secondparallel-positioned hydraulic cylinder, to additionally displace thedeflected refuse and to enable outward discharge thereof from saidcompaction chamber.
 2. The compacting system according to claim 1,wherein: a) the occluding surface is located within 5 cm of a roof ofthe compaction chamber; or b) a length of the occluding surface is nomore than 20% of the length of the compaction chamber; or c) theoccluding surface is configured with a recessed ramped surface that isinclined with respect to the occluding surface for preventingdeformation of the roof of the compaction chamber when the introducedrefuse becomes clogged between the main platen mount and the roof; or d)the occluding surface is configured with an upwardly open channelattached to peripheral edges thereof, for receiving refuse-derivedliquids contacted by the main platen during a compaction operation andtransferred to the occluding surface, the received refuse-derivedliquids being dischargeable from said channel to the floor of thecompaction chamber via one or more drainage openings formed in therefuse-receiving surface of the auxiliary platen mount.
 3. Thecompacting system according to claim 1, wherein a first lengthwiseextending guide rail is fixed to a corresponding side wall of thecompaction chamber and is configured to receive one or morecorresponding linear bearings that are held by the corresponding side ofthe auxiliary platen mount, to facilitate lengthwise displacement of theauxiliary platen mount, and wherein a second lengthwise extending guiderail is connected to each corresponding lateral side of therefuse-receiving surface of the auxiliary platen mount and is configuredto receive one or more corresponding linear bearings that are held bythe corresponding side of the main platen mount, to facilitatedisplacement of the main platen mount relative to the auxiliary platenmount.
 4. The compacting system according to claim 3, wherein arearwardly open, angled bracket is affixed to an upper surface of acorresponding second rail at a forward end thereof and a correspondingpivot mount is attached to said angled bracket, and wherein the one ormore main force transmitting elements are two oblique short-strokehydraulic cylinders that are pivotally connected to the correspondingpivot mount of the auxiliary platen mount and a piston rod of eachoblique cylinder is pivotally connected to a corresponding pivot mountprovided at a central region of the main platen mount, for increasing acompacting force applied by each oblique cylinder even though its strokeis limited by a length equal to a distance between the first and secondpositions.
 5. The compacting system according to claim 3, wherein thepiston holder further comprises: i. at least one linear bearing held ata rearward region, and above an upper surface, of a lengthwise extendingand vertically oriented support member, and received within a couplerwhich is secured to an underside of the refuse-receiving surface of theauxiliary platen mount; or ii. a lengthwise extending and verticallyoriented support member centrally located with respect to the forwardlypositioned beam and having two lengthwise separated eyelets forfacilitating connection with each of the first and second correspondingparallel-positioned hydraulic cylinders.
 6. The compacting systemaccording to claim 5, wherein the piston holder has a taperedconfiguration, such that its width progressively decreases in a rearwarddirection relative to the forwardly positioned beam, and lengthwise endsof the support member are triangularly shaped, to facilitatemanipulation of a cleaning implement at peripheral ends of the pistonholder in order to completely clear refuse from the floor of thecompaction chamber.
 7. The compacting system according to claim 6,wherein the forwardly positioned beam is located slightly above thecompaction chamber floor.
 8. The compacting system according to claim 1,further comprising a pivotally displaceable, three-dimensional doormember which is configured, when set to a closed position at a rearopening of the compaction chamber, to receive within its interior thedeflected refuse, and, when set to an open pivoted position, to allowthe additionally displaced deflected refuse to be outwardly dischargedto a waste disposal site.
 9. The compacting system according to claim 8,further comprising a control system for disabling operation of: a) thefirst and second parallel-positioned hydraulic cylinders when the doormember is set to the closed position; or b) components for facilitatingintroduction of the refuse through the upper opening if the auxiliaryplaten mount is not located at the forwardmost position.
 10. Thecompacting system according to claim 8, further comprising a transportvehicle to which the compaction chamber is secured, for transporting thecompaction chamber to a location proximate to an airplane to facilitateintroduction of airplane-derived refuse through the upper opening andfor subsequently transporting the compaction chamber to the wastedisposal site to facilitate discharging of the refuse from thecompaction chamber via the rear opening.
 11. The compacting systemaccording to claim 1, wherein a rearward end of the floor of thecompaction chamber is configured with a recessed portion within whichincompressible pieces of refuse are collectable and from which theincompressible pieces of refuse are dischargeable following a compactingoperation.